SilkAir crash looks like suicide
SilkAir crash looks like suicide
SINGAPORE (Agencies): Singapore carrier SilkAir came under
fire on Thursday as new evidence backed a theory that pilot
suicide may have caused a 1997 crash in Indonesia which killed
all 104 people aboard.
Families of victims on the Boeing 737-300, which nose-dived
into a river on Sumatra island, sought an independent probe into
why a pilot with known disciplinary problems was allowed to fly.
Flight MI185, with 97 passengers and seven crew, plunged into
a river on Dec. 19, 1997 near Palembang while on a flight from
Jakarta to Singapore. It was cruising at 35,000 feet (10,600
meters) when it suddenly speeded earthward, investigators have
said.
An association set up by families of crash victims said
"sterner and swifter" action should have been taken as the pilot,
Tsu Way Ming, had been disciplined three times for violating
flight procedures.
SilkAir, which is a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines Ltd., on
Wednesday gave an update on the Indonesian-led probe.
It indicated "human intervention" may have caused the plane to
plunge. Probers noted that Tsu, a 41-year-old former Singapore
air force fighter pilot and flight instructor, was facing
financial problems.
"Based on findings disclosed, the association reiterates its
call for an independent commission of enquiry to be set up," the
association said in a statement issued by its vice president
Aaron Ng. His fiance was a stewardess on the flight.
The group's president David Beevers, whose pregnant wife died
in the crash, told Singapore television station Channel News Asia
that Tsu "should not have been flying."
On the possibility of pilot suicide, he said: "I think it
would have been more acceptable if it was mechanical. But if it
is the case that someone did this deliberately, I think we are
going to have to do a lot of soul-searching to accept that."
Investigators said the plane might have been brought down
deliberately by human action, but they stopped short of
confirming Tsu was responsible.
Singapore and Indonesian police have been brought into the
probe as a result of the Indonesian Aircraft Accident
Investigating Commission's interim findings.
The families association said it would write to Indonesia's
President B.J. Habibie to get a reassurance that the
investigation will continue.
"We want to reiterate that the whole issue is not about
compensation. The families want the truth and to ensure
prevention of such occurrences in future," the association said.
Family members voiced anger at SilkAir, accusing the airline
of trying to avoid responsibility.
Meanwhile, lawyers said that SilkAir could be freed from the
risk of huge law suits if an investigation concludes that the
crash of one of the airline's jets in December 1997 was
deliberately caused.
They said if the final report ruled out mechanical failure as
the reason for the crash, it could mean U.S. law suits against
manufacturer Boeing Co would be dropped and end the risk of
SilkAir and its parent Singapore Airlines being joined as co-
defendants.
Claims for tens of millions of dollars have been mounting in
the U.S. against Boeing. SilkAir faces a total bill of about
$14.6 million with its compensation offer to families, mostly
covered by insurance.
"On what basis are you going to get this case to the (United)
States now?" asked a lawyer with a top aviation law firm. "In
harsh, cold terms and putting aside the shocking element of it,
it's not all bad news for SilkAir," the lawyer told Reuters.